Tri-cornered bag



Filed Jan. 26, 1967 INVENTOR AMOS R. KANAGA United States Patent 3,430,841 TRI-CORNERED BAG Amos R. Kanaga, 83 21st Ave, San Mateo, Calif. 94403 Filed Jan. 26, 1967, Ser. No. 611,991 US. Cl. 229-53 1 Claim Int. Cl. B65d /00 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention comprises a tri-cornered receptacle having an opening at one end thereof for receiving and removing receptacle contents; said receptacle comprising a pair of opposed slanting sides terminating at the top in a longitudinally extending apex, a base consisting of folded and lapped transverse extremities of said slanting sides, and a closure at the opposite end from said opening consisting of a folded extension of said base terminating at said apex and lapped longitudinal extremities of said slanting sides, and means fastening together said lapped transverse extremities of said sides defining said base as well as fastening together said folded extension of said base and said lapped longitudinal extremities of said sides defining said closure.

The invention, in general, relates to bag construction and more particularly relates to an A-frame container of relatively great strength and of relatively simple construction.

Heretofore in the paper bag art, it has been the practice to manufacture bags of general rectangular construction with a square mouth or opening and a square bottom with sealed or fastened overlapped portions of the paper stock forming a bottom or end closure upon which the contents of the bag rest. In many instances, considerable areas of the sides of such rectangular bag perform no function insofar as supporting the contents of the bag are concerned and often there is appreciable waste material as well as space in respect to the contents carried by the bag. Moreover, the weight of the contents placed in these rectangular or square bottom bags is such that the bottom of the bag either sags or breaks to spill the contents. The present invention is directed to the provision of an improved strong bag of paper stock which obviates the disadvantages of prior receptacles and affords a relatively economical but durable bag for carrying various articles particularly warm or hot foods.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a tricornered bag which includes a relatively long glue overlap to afford appreciably increased strength and durability.

Another important object of my present invention is to provide a tri-cornered bag of the indicated nature which is additionally characterized by its ready foldability thereby facilitating stacking as well as shipping at reduced expense.

A stll further object of the invention is to provide a tri-cornered bag of the aforementioned character which is readily adaptable for carrying hot foods of a variety of kinds with equal facility, such as hot hamburgers, french fries, frankfurters and similar cooked foods, with likelihood of breaking or tearing reduced to a minimum.

Other objects of the invention, together with some of the advantageous features thereof, will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that I am not to be limited to the precise embodiment shown, nor to the precise arrangement of the various components thereof, as my invention, as defined in the appended claim, can be embodied in a plurality and variety of forms.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the embodiment hown in FIG. 1 but having a different height or peak ine.

FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the invention, the dotted line shown indicating not only lapped transverse extremities at the approximate center of the base but also the opposite corner and base line of the preferred embodiment of the invenion.

FIG. 5 is a partial top plan and a partial development view of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 5 inclusive but in partially folded state. In its preferred form, the tri-cornered bag of my present invention preferably comprises an elongated sheet having a longitudinally extending major axis and a transversely extending minor axis, three longitudinally extending fold lines in said sheet along said major axis defining in bag opened state a bag apex, a mouth at one end, opposed slanting sides, and a base formed by lapped transverse extremities of said sheet, together with a transversely extending fold line along said minor axis at the other end of said sheet, and folded longitudinal extremities of said sheet extending from said transversely extending fold line to said apex to define a closed end, and means fastening said lapped transverse extremities of said sheet together for the full extent of said base and said closed end as well as fastening said longitudinal extremities of said sheet to said apex at said closed end.

While the present invention is entirely suitable for adaptation to the carrying of various items in a plurality of different environments, it has especial adaptation in the art of food receptacles including the carrying of cooked foods. I shall, accordingly but solely for the sake of brevity and explanation, describe and illustrate the present improvement in the latter environment. In this same connection, reference is made to my prior Letters Patent, No. 3,077,410, entitled Portion Control Holding Bag or Container, granted to me on Feb. 12, 1963, wherein I particularly illustrate, describe and claim a bag provided with a metallized exterior surface for carrying cooked foods and for maintaining the same hot for appreciable periods of time. While not shown in the annexed drawings, my improved tri-cornered bag may include, within the scope of the present advance in the art, the metallized pattern applied to the bag of such former patent.

As particularly illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 6 inclusive of the accompanying drawings, I provide an elongated sheet 11 which may be fabricated from light weight, medium weight or heavy paper stock or, as desired, from any suitable plastic substance such as a urea or a phenol condensate for purposes of durability. Sheet 11, being elongated, has a longitudinally extending major axis and a transversely extending minor axis and I preferably fashion or form sheet 11 into a bag, which is generally designated by the reference numeral 12, by folding the sheet along three longitudinally extending fold lines 13, 14 and 15 at predetermined spaced apart distances so that fold line 13 defines the peak or apex of my improved tricornered bag 12, and fold lines 14 and 15 defined opposite terminals of a formed bottom 16 while the spaces between the apex and the opposite terminals of bottom 16 define -or constitute inclined opposed sides 17 and 18, re-,

spectively, of the bag.

It is to be noted that in fashioning the bag 12, I bring the transverse extremities of sheet 11 to lapped positions along the entire major axis of the sheet, thus defining a lapped joint 19 at approximately the center and extending along the entire bottom 16 of the bag as well as beyond the same. In accordance with the present invention, the sheet 11 also is folded transversely adjacent to one end thereof and for the entire length of the minor axis of the sheet 11 to provide a transverse base line 21 for a closed end 22 for the tri-cornered bag 12; such closed end 22 containing a portion of lapped joint 19 extending beyond the bottom 16 of the bag. By folding the sheet 11 on transverse base line 21 and raising the end portion of sheet 11 normal to such base line, the closure 22 is formed after cementing or otherwise adhesively fastening the extremities of sheet 11 at such end to the corresponding end of fold line 13 at the apex of the bag. It is, of course, to be understood that the lapped joint 19 is sealed along the entire bottom 16 as well as beyond through the closed end 22, prior to raising and fastening at the apex, by applying a suitable water-proof cement or other water-proof adhesive to the meeting surfaces of the joint and pressing the lapped extremities defining the joint firmly together. The other or opposite end of the thus formed tri-cornered bag 12 is left open to provide the relatively wide and high mouth 23 for the deposit and removal of contents into and from the bag with facility.

In FIGS. 1 to 3 inclusive of the annexed drawings, I have illustrated the manner of folding and opening my improved tri-cornercd bag. In FIG. 1, the bottom 16 is shown as slightly raised adjacent to the lapped joint 19. Thus showing how the folding of the bag is initiated. In FIG. 2, I have shown the lapped joint 19 of bottom 16 in its approximately highest position in relation to its normal fiat position as shown in FIG. 3, with the bottom 16 in folded halves. The view of FIG. 3 shows the tricornered bag in fully open position with the bottom 16 fiat. The bag can readily be popped open from its folded position as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6. When fully folded to a longitudinally flat position, the bags can be readily stacked and shipped in suitable cases or cartons.

It is to be understood that the hight of the tri-cornered bag can be as desired and this is governed by the transverse dimension of sheet 11. For low apices, the sheet 11 can be relatively narrow in width. As the height increases, the width of sheet 11 increases, and the positions of the fold lines defining the dimensions of the sides and the bottom of the bag necessarily will vary.

By virtue of the securely fastened, relatively long lapped joint 19 extending throughout the length of sheet 11, I have provided a rugged, durable tri-cornered bag which will hold appreciable weight vwithout breaking at the seam or lapped joint 19. The improved tri-cornered bag finds especial application to the carrying of hot foods such as cooked hamburgers, frankfurters, fried shoestring or french fried potatoes and similar items usually sold at so-called drive-in stands.

It is to be further understood that the appended claim is to be accorded a range of equivalents commensurate in scope with the advances made over the prior art.

I claim:

1. A tri-cornered bag having a relatively wide and high opening at one end thereof for admission and removal of contents into and from the bag; said bag comprising a pair of elongated opposed inclined sides joined together at the tops thereof to define a bag apex extending throughout its entire major axis and spaced apart transversely at the bottom thereof to define the minor axis of the bag, a bottom on said bag joined at its transverse extremities to the bottoms of said opposed inclined sides and coextensive with the lengths thereof, a sealed lapped joint in said bottom at its approximate transverse center and extending longitudinally thereof throughout the major axis of the bag, a folded extension on said bottom and on each of said sides defining a closed end on said bag opposite to said wide and high opening therein, and a sealed lapped joint in said closed end at its approximate transverse center and extending longitudinally thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,240,564 9/1917 Harrington. 1,221,785 4/1917 Williams 229-22 X 2,279,327 4/ 1942 Kehn 22953 3,077,410 2/1963 Kanaga 229-53 DAVID M. BOCKENEK, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 229-22 

